Week 38

I have made it another week, and at my doctor appointment today I have not changed much.  I am still at 2 cm.  Which, in my mind is a good thing.  My doctor really thought that I was going to have a New Years baby!  I  think Pancho was pleased that he didn't have to share his birthday (January 1) with this new baby that is going to wreak havoc on his perfect world.  I secretly don't want Sam to come before next Wednesday.  This is selfish of me because the later he arrives, the less time I have to go back to work for the end of the school year.  Not that I don't want to go back to work, I just want the least amount of time away from my baby as possible!  We are super lucky to have so many willing family members that have offered their time to come and nanny for Sam for the six weeks that I do have to go back to finish out the school year.


The not knowing of when he will decide to make his debut is really hard for me though.  I am such a planner that the unknown is a challenge.  It is also hard because each day I leave work I have to leave it as if I am not returning the next day.  Just always a weird feeling at the end of the day.  I don't want to leave anything for tomorrow, just in case.


I also have a lot of "This is the last time for..." feelings like:
- This may be my last shower.
- This may be my last bowl of ice cream (the diet starts after he's born, ha!).
- This may be my last pedicure.
- This may be the last time I am alone!  haha!


I think we have everything ready for Sam though: my suitcase is packed and in the car for the hospital with some cute outfits for Sam and a couple comfy pjs that I am looking forward to sporting, the car seat has been installed & checked for safety, Sam's room is complete & ready, and we have quite a few frozen meals in our freezer.  We are still not really sure if we are going to have him sleep in our room for the first few nights or not.  We will just have to see how this plays out.


I am having mild contractions a couple times a day (they feel like menstrual cramps).  Every time I get a contraction-like feeling I think, "Is this it?!  I need to take a shower!  It might be my last!"  But then I have to remind myself that the real thing is going to hurt a hell of a lot worse than menstrual cramps!  I will also occasionally get a little wave of nausea, which I have been told is normal.


Clint continues to go out of his way to help with things.  He had the day off yesterday and I came home to a vacuumed living room, a clean house, and he made a great steak dinner last night.  I didn't have to lift a finger (which are really swollen and sore now).  My savior!  He would make a great stay at home dad!


All-in-all I am still feeling really good!  Who knows, maybe my next post will have pictures of Sam!  We can't wait!!!

37 weeks and counting

I have made it to 37 weeks and am officially considered "full term."  Whoo hoo!  Which means that little Sam can make his appearance any day now and be just fine :)  While this is very comforting news, it also makes this all seem to be happening so fast now.  WTF have we done!  I can not believe Clint and I will be parents any day now.

Even though my due date is January 16, my doctor said that as of today, I am 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  Which technically means nothing, but I am progressing well, which is great news.  He said that he could take us up to labor and delivery today, break my water, and have a baby by tonight!  Again... WTF!  I think we will try to let Sam make the decision to come into our world (he won't be making many more for a long time).

I am also so thankful to have my mom here for the next few days.  She has helped get all the last minute things done and has been so much fun to have around!

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas here in Frisco!  Since I am not allowed to travel at this point in my pregnancy, it was the first time Clint and I had not celebrated Christmas in Austin in 30 years!  My parents and brothers came up to celebrate and we will get to have Clint's parents here after the new year.  We had a good 'ole Texas Christmas with chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole, green beans, and chocolate pie.  I screwed up the pie, but I do that every time I try to make chocolate pie!  Thank goodness my dad was here to bail me out, doctor up the pie, and make it perfect ;)

The boys played wiffle ball in the backyard.

All the stockings made it - and there was even one for Sam!

My mom and dad

Clint and me

Kyle was dressed just like the guy in the commercial :)

Making chicken fried steak!

Clint and Kyle ready to eat

Da Mamma

Mom, Dad, and Clint

Shelby and Kyle

The dogs even got their Christmas dinner!

I am so mad that Clint and I didn't get a picture together.  We always seem to forget to do that, and Clint isn't one for taking pictures, which makes it hard.  Thankfully we did remember to get a family pic before the boys left.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

School Baby Shower

My wonderful 3rd grade team threw Amy (my teacher friend that is also pregnant and due in February) and me a baby shower back in the beginning of December!

Heather, Natalie, me, Michelle, Amy, Brae, and Erin

Natalie, Erin, me, Amy, Heather, Brae, and Michelle

Thank you girls for putting together such a special shower!

36 weeks!

I can't believe I am already 36 weeks pregnant!  I have days that I am just not ready to not be pregnant anymore and then others when I just want to feel "normal" again.  All-in-all, I feel good though!  I only have just a few things that have been bothering me.  My back starts to feel sore at the end of the day and my feet and legs continue to hurt pretty bad after standing for a while.  I think I stood for too long at our Winter Party because my legs and feet hurt so bad afterwards.  I came home and rested the rest of that evening, but when I got up off the couch, I did something to my left foot/ankle.  It feels like I pulled a tendon in the back of my ankle.  I have been icing it nightly and also wrapping it during the day.  The leg/feet soreness makes daily tasks like doing dishes, laundry, etc. extremely hard because I get worn out so quickly.

I have been sleeping well, but not for long periods of time.  I have to get up to pee every few hours :)  Also, my arms fall asleep very easily which makes sleeping uncomfortable.  My doctor said this is all normal and there is not much I can do.  My body must be preparing me for something :)

I still have days that I do not feel that this experience is real.  I guess I have wanted a baby for so many years, that now that it has become a reality it is hard for me to process.  I am just so thankful and excited that this is finally happening to us!

Clint and I went to our child care basics and infant CPR class last Saturday.  It was nice to be reassured that we will figure this while parenting thing out and that we know what to do in an emergency situation.

36 weeks - you can tell that everything is getting bigger, even my face!

We bought a new SLR camera that I am super excited about!!! I have been practicing using it to on the dogs :)  but I know there will be some great shots of Sam once he makes his appearance!

My class surprised me at our Winter Party with a bunch of goodies for Sam!  They are such a generous bunch!

My friend, Kristen, had her baby, Stella, on Wednesday, November 30th!!!  We were all so excited to welcome her, and she seems pretty happy about it too :)  I was also lucky that I got a pass from my doctor so that I could travel to Austin to meet her.  She is the most beautiful baby and I can't wait to hold her again!

I guess that is all for now!  I hope everyone is doing well :)

Building a Fence

Clint has been working his butt off the last three weekends to build a new fence with our neighbor.  We have a fairly large side yard between our house and our neighbor's, so we decided to move our fence closer to the front of the house in order to incorporate more of the front yard into the backyard.  We also needed to have a wider gate so we can buy a riding lawn mower.  Here are some before, during, and after pictures.

Front yard before fence it put up.

Clint and Mark using the auger to dig holes.  They dug close to 30 holes!

Backyard - between us and neighbors.  Old fence ripped down and  new runners are up.

Backyard section done!

Backyard looking to front yard.

Looking from backyard to front yard.

Backyard: old fence gone and new fence complete!

Looking from the front yard: side fence done separating the neighbors, and some of the front completed.  Old fence is still up in the background.

Front view - fence completed!

Clint with our neighbor - job well done!

Breaking Glass

Since I have been pregnant I have broken 10+ glass items.  I have lost count.  Clint looked it up online and there is an old wives tale that it could be a sign of good luck.  I think I am just more clumsy.


The worst glass I broke was by far a half-full bottle of Goldschlager that rolled out of the freezer, crashed all over the kitchen floor, and took over an hour to fully clean up.  The other night I broke Buoy's dog bowl.  Luckily it slipped from my hands inside the sink while I was putting some water in it.  Clint was so sweet and just jumped up and said he would take care of it.  Thank goodness, because I was about to lose it.  I was so frustrated with myself.


A few nights later, a very, very small piece of glass that gotten stuck in our floor mats caught my toe and sliced me open.  I was able to grab a paper towel and hobble to a chair.  Unfortunately, my huge, giant, big fat pregnant belly was limiting my ability to bend over to reach my foot.  It was quite the sight.  I was home alone, blood squirting from my toe, and I couldn't decide if I should call my neighbor to come and get the glass out of my toe or if I could do it.  I couldn't go get tweezers because I would have tracked blood all over the house.  I kept at it, having to bend down for a few seconds and then sit back up to catch my breath.  I finally got it out though.


Pregnancy lessons I learned?  Try really hard not to injure my feet or toes, because I can not reach them anymore.  Use plastic whenever possible.